CHAPTER 476: CHAPTER 470: THE MURDEROUS AURA IN THE THICKETS

"Demon people, I was just about to use you to test my spear..."

Hu Ma observed the situation around him, calculating step by step in his mind. He clearly felt that this Young Master Meng seemed as if he had been injected with adrenaline, the momentum of his spear growing even fiercer as it was thrust directly toward him.

Now that Young Master Meng had realized Hu Ma’s cultivation was lacking, he used this to his advantage, wielding the Ghost Spear with intense yin qi to suppress Hu Ma. Almost every thrust was imbued with full force, piercing at Hu Ma from bizarre and intricate angles.

With higher cultivation come such benefits. In the world of the jianghu, where countless Paths and Strange Techniques exist, cultivation remains the core. High cultivation in Shousui yields brute strength; in Negative Spirit, it allows summoning more Mana; and in Walking Ghost, the altars set are larger.

In duels within the Path, being less cultivated than one’s opponent makes it easy to be suppressed, restricted, and unable to exert oneself fully. Once both sides exert their true strength, the one with shallower cultivation can instantly lose their footing, or even be thrown into utter disarray by the opponent’s direct assault.

Now that Young Master Meng had exerted his full strength and showcased his refined martial prowess, he clearly had Hu Ma, who was on horseback, suppressed, with even a hint of mockery in his eyes.

It seemed as if he wasn’t in a hurry to kill Hu Ma, instead wanting to use him to hone his skills.

"The Young Master is steadily in the lead..."

Beside him, even his personal maid seemed somewhat excited, her worries slightly alleviated. They had followed the Young Master outside, fervently hoping he wouldn’t have to fight personally; if he lost, the consequences would be unbearable.

However, she also understood that the Young Master had already suffered greatly this time. If he wasn’t allowed to vent his frustrations, he would be difficult to manage afterward.

But... despite these thoughts, she remained cautious, faintly sensing something was amiss: If this demon person truly possessed only such limited skills, how would he dare to confront the Meng Family?

It’s time...

Meanwhile, wielding the Evil Blade, Hu Ma quickly gained some understanding of this Young Master Meng.

This Young Master Meng lacked experience, and his foundation was easily discernible.

This was likely a common shortcoming among aristocratic sons. Although they didn’t lack understanding of many principles, and even if they didn’t roam the jianghu, Martial Artists would pass on their knowledge. Yet, jianghu experience is different—what’s taught by others is of little use; only personal experience is truly valuable.

When Miss Red Wine had Hu Ma, as an Ascender, participate in the Beggar Gang’s siege of Ji Tang, it was to let him witness how a Shousui man is killed. The impact of that experience was significant...

Of course, the Meng Family’s foundation was deeply rooted, and trying to fully probe it in a short time wasn’t feasible. However, the time Hu Ma had bought was sufficient.

"Mortal man?"

Understanding this logic, Hu Ma suddenly swung his blade, temporarily forcing Young Master Meng back. As he sat on his horse, he shouted coldly, "Then let me show you if this mortal’s blade is fast enough!"

As he spoke, he suddenly underwent Death Transformation, his fierce aura manifesting instantly. With one vicious strike, he forced the Second Young Master Meng back a few paces. He then slowly raised his blade and flicked his finger.

"WHOOSH..."

The blade immediately understood. Suddenly, a rolling fiendish aura surged, enveloping the surroundings in a sinister yin qi as it slashed directly at Young Master Meng.

After undergoing Death Transformation, Hu Ma’s body became heavy and stiff, like a drought ba, possessing an eerie strength. Although his movements were less agile than when in full vitality, his strength increased significantly.

When a Shousui man reaches the Entering the Mansion level, their body is like a zombie and their soul like a fierce ghost, manifesting this state. Ordinary weapons and arrows could hardly harm them. Even when facing Divine Weapons, they would remain indifferent to a few injuries, as long as they weren’t dismembered or decapitated.

This time, it was a combination of a ferocious blade and a forceful person, carrying a rolling fiendish aura, as if he had transformed into another being altogether.

This fiendish aura...

At the same moment the fiendish aura on the blade was unleashed, the Second Young Master Meng suddenly recognized Hu Ma from it. Earlier, in town, when someone killed the Grass Head Eight Declining Gods, he had witnessed such a terrifying fiendish aura.

His heart filled with shock and dread, he exclaimed, "It was you?"

He detested the two people in that town: one who subdued the Yin General and had even received a bow from him, and the other who wielded the Evil Blade and severed his Grass Head Eight Declining Gods. He had no idea who they were or if they were the same person, as the opponent had concealed themselves well.

When Hu Ma had approached earlier, he couldn’t connect the dots. He was quite certain that the person who killed the Grass Head Eight Declining Gods held an extraordinary identity in town, in the not eating beef region.

Why would such a person be alone, coming outside to kill him?

But upon seeing the fiendish aura on the blade, he was stunned. He was shocked and filled with hatred, even mingled with a bit of ecstatic anger, shouting, "Demon people, you’ve really walked right into my hands!"

Though filled with a murderous impulse as he watched Hu Ma’s incoming fierce strike, he ultimately lacked the ruthless combativeness of the wild. He was unable to employ a move to exchange injuries with his opponent and could only urgently block with his spear.

"CRACK!"

But unexpectedly, the blade was too ferocious, cleaving the Ghost Spear into two pieces in one strike. The blade’s momentum didn’t halt; rolling with cold light, it chopped down toward the Second Young Master Meng’s face.

This demon is so fierce...

The Second Young Master Meng was startled. He only heard the fearsome howl of the Evil Blade, like a series of eerie laughs, while the Ghost Spear let out mournful wails. In agitation, he threw the broken spear to the ground and waved his large sleeve. A peculiar wind swept up, blocking his path.

This warding power utilized his own cultivation; the air he swept out seemed to carry a suffocating force.

Meanwhile, the personal maid aiding from the side was already prepared. She quietly lit four incense sticks. The smoke from these sticks enveloped the area, making it misty, with ghostly shadows flickering within.

The two forces interwove. As Hu Ma charged forward on horseback, he seemed to plunge into a netherworld trap, suddenly feeling ghostly, chilling hands everywhere.

But the Shousui man had gained the upper hand and wouldn’t easily let go of his prey. With a low growl, his Divine Soul condensed, suddenly forming a Dharma Form. All the ghostly hands reaching for him were bounced back by this Dharma Form.

His entire being appeared immensely towering, with a green face and tusks, like an Evil Ghost, as he fiercely slashed forward.

"You have refined martial skills, while I have this rugged spirit forged through struggle! You have the cultivation of an aristocratic scion, and I have the Dharma Form of a great rebel! You have a maid to assist, while I have this murderous Evil Blade!"

With a deep growl, he instantly broke through the ghostly mist, his aura surging as he pursued relentlessly.

In their just-concluded martial arts exchange, the Second Young Master Meng hadn’t lost. In fact, compared to Hu Ma, he could be described as "refined." Hu Ma, on the other hand, had relied on the Shousui man’s ferocity to turn the tables.

But now, the moment the Second Young Master Meng retreated, his aura diminished.

Moreover, with no weapon at hand, he couldn’t quickly find a replacement. He also lacked experience in situations where one opponent discards their weapon while the other presses the attack fiercely. Panic set in, causing him to retreat hastily.

Hu Ma, having gained the upper hand, wielded his increasingly fierce blade, its rolling force sweeping toward the Second Young Master Meng.

"Get back!"

Seeing the dire situation, the maid took the opportunity, wielding her Bone Sword to attack Hu Ma on horseback. But the excited Master Ma bucked its hind legs, kicking her away. This allowed Hu Ma to capitalize on the forward momentum and strike again toward the Second Young Master Meng’s face.

The Young Master reacted quickly, effortlessly grabbing a Bone Shield and placing it in front of himself to block.

He even used his other hand to discreetly form a Magic Seal, seemingly ready to employ some dharma method. Yet, the strength of a Shousui man lay in fierce, relentless close combat, becoming fiercer and faster with each move.

Many within the Path possess concealed trump cards, potential lifesavers in a pinch. But when combat gets close, there’s no time to use them.

No matter how stealthy your actions, a Shousui man will always cleave down with his blade.

"SCHLICK!"

Riding the momentum, Hu Ma crashed his horse’s head directly into the shield, which was studded with eerie bone spikes. The impact left the horse’s head bloody and dazed. Yet, Hu Ma utilized the momentum to slice downward like a lightning strike, his blade brimming with manic energy as he chopped vigorously.

Incredibly, he cleaved the Bone Shield apart, and the remnants struck the Second Young Master Meng’s face.

"SCHLICK!" Blood spurted fiercely.

"You dare! How dare you! You’re so bold..."

The Second Young Master Meng’s angry shout echoed amidst the misty vapor, even catching Hu Ma by surprise.

This blade was wielded with full force, leaving no room for escape. It indeed struck its target.

From what he sensed, the fellow attempted to dodge. But in lifting his body upward, he hadn’t avoided the blade; instead, it had shifted from striking his face to severing his neck, lopping off his head entirely.

But how could he still be speaking?

In disbelief, as the ghostly mist dispersed, Hu Ma saw the Second Young Master Meng, his eyes full of anger. The Meng scion held his own head aloft with one hand while his headless body stood there.

The head in his hand bore a look of intense resentment, staring at Hu Ma with chilling malice. "I challenged you in martial arts," it said, "yet you leveraged this Evil Blade to gain an unfair advantage. Since that’s the case, I’ll let you witness the methods of the Meng Family!"

While speaking, he lifted the head in his hand, puffed its cheeks, gathered all its strength, and blew hard.

"WHOOSH..."

He had removed his head, and blood had sprayed from his neck. Now, as this blood arced through the air, still airborne, his breath transformed it into a massive torrent of water that enveloped a large part of the area.